A Stranger's Kiss

feet into a pair of flat shoes and grabbed a scarf.
    As an afterthought she decided to leave a message for Adam. She paused for a moment over the little pad of stick-on notes. Then she was seized by a sense of devilment. ‘Gone to discover the Garden of Eden with Hanna. Back by one. Tara,’ she wrote. And she tacked it on to his bedroom door on her way out.
     

 
    CHAPTER FIVE
     
    TARA was delighted with the island. Some parts were barren desert, others lush oasis. First Hanna took her to see an oil well chugging away, the nodding donkey gaily painted to look like a grasshopper.
    ‘It’s not at all what I expected. It’s so small. Not at all dramatic.’
    ‘You are thinking of drilling rigs, cherie. They cost money. This makes it!’
    He pointed out the palace where Adam was visiting the Ruler.
    ‘Are you Bahraini?’ Tara asked him. ‘You don’t wear the traditional robes.’
    A shadow crossed his face. ‘Bahrain is my adopted home. My own country is mired in civil war.’ He shrugged. ‘One day I may go back.’
    ‘I’m sorry.’
    ‘There is no need to be. Come and look at the beach. It isn’t warm enough to swim, but it is charming.’ He parked the car and led her through deserted palm groves and gardens to a small beach, his arm lingering at her waist. ‘The name Bahrain means “two seas”. Here you see the salt water of the Gulf, but far below fresh water springs bubble up through the sea floor. It is possible to dive down and capture it in a plastic bag. It is part of the legend of Dilmun.’
    ‘You said there were ancient sites? Is this really the Garden of Eden?’
    His smile was enigmatic. ‘That you must judge for yourself. Come, I have arranged a small lunch.’ He indicated a small pavilion set amidst the palm trees and alarm bells began to ring in her head.
    ‘Lunch?’ She glanced at her watch. ‘Good lord, it’s nearly one o’clock. I have to get back.’
    He laughed softly. ‘Darling, you must allow yourself to relax a little.’ His hand at her waist compelled her gently towards the pavilion.
    She dug her heels in. ‘I’m afraid that’s impossible, Hanna. Adam will be worried if I’m not back.’
    ‘But you said he arranged for you to shop in the souk? He will simply assume you have decided to lunch out with Angela.’
    ‘He would have,’ she said, gently. ‘But I left him a note saying that I was spending the morning with you.’
    If he was annoyed he didn’t let it show. Hanna’s face betrayed only sadness. ‘I did not realise. I did not see you enter the office.’ And if he had, would the note have disappeared? She dispelled the idea as unjust.
    ‘I left it upstairs.’
    ‘Ah. In that case I must take you back. It would not do for him to come and find us alone together here. He can be so...’ — he allowed a smile to cross his face — ‘... so puritanical.’
    ‘Would he come looking for me?’ she asked, with well-simulated surprise.
    ‘Oh, yes, Tara. I’m very much afraid he would.’
    ‘In that case I don’t think we should delay. Thank you for the tour, Hanna.’ She turned back to the car, detaching herself from his hand. ‘It has been most interesting.’
    She quickly fastened the seatbelt before he decided to help. Adam had been right and she silently thanked whatever good angel had prompted her to leave a note. She wasn’t certain Hanna believed her but clearly he wasn’t prepared to take the risk. And something that had been niggling at her all morning finally clicked into place.
    Hanna said that Adam had told him about the summons to the palace last night, but Adam hadn’t known about it then. She glanced across at her guide. Somehow she didn’t believe it had come as a total surprise to the very smooth Mr Rashid.
    Adam was standing in the doorway when they drew up in front of the villa. Tara’s heart sank slightly, she had almost hoped he would still be at the palace, but the way things were going it was inevitable that he should be home first.
    ‘Did you have a good time?’ he asked, without apparent rancour and she began to relax. Then he turned to her and she saw his eyes. ‘Did you find what you were looking for?’
    ‘The Garden of Eden? I don’t think so.’ He might have been right about Hanna, but she wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of saying so. ‘But it was most interesting.’ She turned quite deliberately and offered the man her hand. ‘Thank you for taking so much trouble to amuse me.’
    ‘It was